Pendekatan Hands On Activity untuk Sains sekolah rendah

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Pendekatan Hands On Activity merujuk kepada sebarang aktiviti fizikal yang melibatkan penggunaan peralatan dan bahan yang berlaku ketika PnP. Logiknya di sini, murid akan lebih memahami sekiranya mereka sendiri menemui masalah dan mencari penyelesaian berbanding hanya membaca dari buku sahaja. Pendekatan ini adalah paling sesuai diterapkan kepada murid di peringkat awal lagi, di mana ketika mereka di tahun satu lagi, sudah mengenal beberapa alat dan fungsi alat tersebut. Contohnya, dalam topik Conductivity of electric, murid tahun 3 dikehendaki mengenalpasti beberapa bahan yang boleh mengkonduksikan elektrik. Jika diterangkan di dalam kelas dan memberikan contoh, besar kemungkinan murid tidak dapat memahami sepenuhnya dan sukar untuk mereka ingat objek-objek tersebut. Jadi, kita akan membawa mereka berjalan-jalan di sekitar kawasan sekolah dan setiap murid dikehendaki mencari objek yang mereka fikir boleh mengkonduksikan elektrik. Peringkat ini, murid akan membuat prediction dan observation ( kedua-dua ini adalah dikenali sebagai kemahiran proses sains , KPS ) setelah mereka mendapat objek-objek tersebut, tugas guru adalah memantau mereka supaya tidak membawa sebarang objek yang berbahaya ( aspek keselamatan adalah priority nombor 1 seorang guru sains ) Murid akan mula menguji bahan-bahan yang mereka dapati itu dengan menggunakan papan litarperingkat ini dikenali sebagai Experimentation ( satu lagi domain penting dalam KPS ) Jadi, sebenarnya pihak kerajaan sedang bertungkus lumus untuk merevolusikan pendidikan sebenarnya. Peralihan dari pendekatan lama yang lebih bersifat chalk and talk akan berlaku, di mana pendekatan inquiry knowledge akan mula dilaksanakan secara berperingkat-peringkat. Dan ini memerlukan calon guru yang sememangnya faham dan jelas akan apa yang dimahukan oleh KPM, calon yang bagaimanakah mempunyai edge dan calon yang bagaimanakah yang akan gagal nanti.

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Hands-On Activities
By: Rosa Lizardi (2005)

Background
Students learn in a variety of ways. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers use different teaching styles to meet English language learners' (ELLs') needs. Students who are learning the English language can benefit from a variety of learning modalities. For example, the tactile learner can have the opportunity to learn through hands-on activities, increasing the student's learning experience. The following paragraphs will

explain the positive outcomes hands-on activities have on ELLs, and how educators and parents can implement these strategies in their classroom or at home (O'Neil, 2004). Hands-on activities let the students' minds grow and learn based on the experiences and the environment they are exposed to. ELLs learn while discussing, investigating, creating, and discovering with other students. As the students become familiar with the subject they are learning, they begin to make decisions, requiring less teacher support and allowing more interactive learning experiences to occur (Cooperstein & Kocevar-Weidinger, 2004). There are some guidelines written by Milbrandt, Felts, Richards, and Abaghari (2004) that provide support as educators create an environment that promotes hands-on activities. For a successful classroom experience to take place, ELLs need to have access to many different tools. For example, they need to be able to have access to computers, videos, books, magazines, manipulatives, and their local library to do research. They need time to brainstorm, generate, and re-create their ideas. Furtheremore, ELLs need to feel comfortable to make mistakes and to start all over again when necessary. All of these components are important parts of the learning process, as students become independent learners.

Classroom application
Mrs. Lizardi shared an example that took place when she guiding her students through classroom presentations of the book Of Mice and Menby John Steinbeck. A group of students decided to demonstrate what the book was trying to convey by using pictures (slide show) from different resources. Students were planning to present the events that occur in the book by showing pictures depicting the scenery, characters, and situations, while another student narrated their interpretation. As the days went by, they realized that this approach was not conveying what they were trying to communicate. Therefore, the group changed gears and decided to communicate the book's message by presenting several acting tableaus. Students had to learn and practice six acting scenes that were less than a minute-long each and ended in a frozen pose. They presented the tableaus without using any words and had to exaggerate their acting to show emotional reactions in order to convey their message. The activity allowed ELLs to participate, demonstrating their understanding of the main idea without the need of verbal language. This example demonstrates the need to provide time for students to plan and re-create their projects in order to meet the expectations presented to them by educators. Students should be encouraged to be creative and to think outside the box let them know that there is more than one way to get their message across. This teaching method will bring pride and ownership to their learning experience. During hands-on activities, teachers do not direct students at every step. Therefore, at the introduction of the project, teachers should provide students with rubrics on how their project or presentation will be graded, as well as the requirements for each level of performance. By providing clear expectations on what you expect students to know, and do, ELLs can become active learners and gain expertise on the subject as they meet their learning goals. This learning modality builds on social interaction and therefore allows ELLs to have an opportunity to provide input as they learn new, important language and grammatical skills. As stated in the article by Copperstein and Kocevar-Wiedinger (2004), when explaining the benefits of hands-on activities, "abstract concepts become meaningful, transferable, and retained because they are attached to performance of an activity" (p.145). In other words, when students have the opportunity to take learning into their own hands, they become proud and motivated to continue to grow and learn. This is why Rosa Lizardi finds that providing students in her classroom with lessons that let them become active learners allows them to become motivated and to work harder to meet her high expectations

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Volume 8, Issue A ::: November 2005

Interactive Classroom Activities

by Donna Moss A number of activities for pairs foster interaction and focus on meaningful communication (Ellis, 1999). Some activities have very specific guidelines and parameters; others are more loosely constructed. In interactive classroom instruction, various activities are used depending on the lessons goals and objectives. These activities include, but are not limited to, information gap, conversation grid, ordering and sorting, problem-solving, and discussions. Information Gap activities are widely used in ESOL instruction. At the most basic level, two people share information to complete a task. In one-way information gap activities, one person has all the information (e.g., one learner gives directions to a location and the other plots the route out on a map). In two-way gap activities, both learners have information to share to complete the activity. Two-way information gap activities have been shown to facilitate more interaction than one-way information gap tasks (Ellis, 1999). Conversation grid activities work well for beginning-level learners. They provide learners with an opportunity to practice gathering and giving the same information over and over again, thus helping to build automaticity. They also provide learners with a chance to negotiate meaning. For example, to review asking and answering personal identification questions in a family literacy class, learners can speak to classmates to gather information and complete a table such as the one below.

First Name

Last Name

Childs Grade

Childs Teachers Name

The number of rows can vary depending on how many interviews you want students to conduct. A conversation may ensue, such as: Ana: Whats your first name? Marta: Marta Ana: Spell, please Marta: M-A-R-T-A Ana: M-A (student writes the letter E) Marta: M-AAno E Ordering and sorting activities include classification, ranking, and sequencing (Willis, 1996). For example, in a discussion about talking to children about drugs and alcohol, parents are given cards with statements such as, Beer is not alcohol or The legal drinking age is 21. Learners work in pairs and must put the cards in either the True, False, or Im not sure pile. To complete the task,

learners have to discuss their choices, provide explanations for them, and achieve consensus (Siteki, 2004). Problem-solving activities work at all levels. Learners work in pairs and discuss issues relevant to their lives, such as finding ways to use English outside the class, or how to plan a budget for a family of five. Problem-solving pairs work well when each person has a specific role and the tasks are clearly set out for them. Learners use language to communicate for real reasons: to explain their ideas, make suggestions, and eventually reach a consensus. For beginning-level learners, problem-solving activities can be created using picture prompts or picture stories that deal with everyday problems adults commonly confront. Using the language experience approach, learners tell the teacher what is happening in each picture and the teacher writes what they say (Singleton, 2002). After the story is established, learners can make suggestions about how characters in the story can solve their problems. (See examples of problem-solving picture stories related to health issues.) Discussions, which are an obvious way to promote interactions, can be about almost anything, from cultural issues, education, learning English, to current events and hot topics. Discussions seem deceptively easy to set up, but they require preparation and thought so that they run smoothly and learners get the most out of the exchange of ideas. The purpose of the discussion should be made very clear to the learners. The benefits of pair discussions to language development should also be articulated: they are an opportunity to practice listening for main ideas and details, build vocabulary, use English to explain and elaborate, and use strategies to keep the conversation from breaking down. It is helpful to set time limits, assign roles and responsibilities, and debrief all participants after the discussion.

References
Ellis, R. (1999). Learning a Second Language Through Interaction. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. Singleton, K. (2002). ESOL teachers: Helpers in health care. Focus on Basics, 5C, 26 -30. Siteki, M. (2004). Talking to Kids about Drugs and Alcohol. Retrieved December 6, 2004, from http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ ctae/adult_ed/REEP/family.htm

About the Author

Donna Moss is the family literacy specialist at the Arlington Refugee Education and Employment Program (REEP) in Arlington, Virginia. She has been in adult ESOL education for more than 20 years as a teacher, curriculum developer, teacher trainer, and researcher. She was a contributing author of the Collaborations: English in Our Lives series from Heinle and Heinle.
Reprinted with permission of the author from Focus on Basics 7C.

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Perspectives of Hands-On Science Teaching

David L. Haury and Peter Rillero, 1994

Questions and Answers

1. What is hands-on learning, and is it just a fad?
Hands-on learning has become a common phrase in science education. Like many other highly used terms and phrases, there are various interpretations of what is meant by "hands-on learning." Rather than attempt to offer a definitive operational definition, we present in this section a variety of viewpoints on what is meant by hands-on learning in science. Then we address the issues of whether hands-on learning is a new phenomenon and whether hands-on approaches will continue to have a continual impact on science teaching and learning in schools. Teacher Responses

Hands-on learning is learning by doing. To even imply that it is a fad is to ignore what has been taking place in education, both formal and informal, for years. Vocational education has always understood that if you want someone to learn to repair an automobile, you need an automobile to repair. If you want to teach someone to cook, you put them in a kitchen. Whoever heard of teaching someone to swim in a traditional classroom? Likewise, I do believe we are learning that in order to truly teach science, we must "do" science. Jeff G. Brodie, fifth and sixth grade teacher, East Side Elementary, Edinburgh, IN Hands-on learning involves the child in a total learning experience which enhances the child's ability to think critically. The child must plan a process to test a hypothesis, put the process into motion using various hands-on materials, see the process to completion, and then be able to explain the attained results. Hands-on learning is not just a fad because it enables students to become critical thinkers, able to apply not only what they have learned, but more importantly, the process of learning, to various life situations. Sister Judith

Mary Frederick, fifth grade teacher, St. Mary's Elementary School, Sandusky, OH Developer Thoughts

Hands-on learning means many different things to different people. It has become a slogan and is often used to describe any activities in classrooms that use materials. As a slogan, it can easily become a fad. Hands-on learning, however, is not simply manipulating things. It is engaging in in-depth investigations with objects, materials, phenomena, and ideas and drawing meaning and understanding from those experiences. Other terms for this are inquiry learning, hands-on, and minds-on learning. Karen Worth, Education Development Center Inc., Newton, MA The importance of student investigation of basic scientific principles cannot be overstated. Hands-on learning is the only way students can directly observe and understand science. As students develop effective techniques for observing and testing everything around them, they learn the what, how, when, and why, of things with which they interact. These experiences are necessary if the youngsters of today are to remain "turnedon" to science and become scientifically literate. Mathew Bacon, Delta Education (publisher of SCIS 3, Delta Science Modules, ESS, OBIS), Hudson, NH There is no doubt that there is more emphasis on hands-on materials than in the recent past. That does not mean, however, that the hands-on science activity ever passed away. Furthermore, good science programs cannot exist without hands-on; I do not think it will ever pass away. I do think that we must continue to emphasize the necessity of hands-on in science curriculum, and I truly hope we can keep the hands-on component at a high level. Jerald A. Tunheim, Project SMILE (Science Manipulatives in the Learning Environment), Dakota State University, Madison, SD A hands-on approach requires students to become active participants instead of passive learners who listen to lectures or watch films. Laboratory and field activities are traditional methods of giving students hands-on experiences. With the advent of classroom technology, students can now participate in a non- traditional form of hands-on education through the use of computers. This technology extends hands-on learning to include minds-on skills. An example of this hands-on/minds-on learning is the unique MarsLink curriculum project which provides data to students from the Mars Observer spacecraft. This partnership brings near "real-time" science to hands-on

learning. Carol J. Stadum, The Planetary Society (producers of Marslink teaching packets), Pasadena, CA Programs that are fun and clearly result in developing the curiosity, competency, creativity and caring of learners must, by definition, represent appropriate educational practices. The value of such programs does not change, no matter when or what they are called. Julie Gantcher, Bronx Zoo Education Department, producers of Pablo Python Looks at Animals, Bronx, NY

Notes from the literature

"Hands-on activities mean students have objects (both living and inanimate) directly available for investigation" (Meinhard, 1992, p. 2). James Rutherford director of the science reform initiative, Project 2061, describes his view of hands-on science. "Hands-on quite literally means having students 'manipulate' the things they are studying - plants, rocks, insects, water, magnetic fields - and 'handle' scientific instruments - rulers, balances, test tubes, thermometers, microscopes, telescopes, cameras, meters, calculators. In a more general sense, it seems to mean learning by experience" (1993, p. 5). "There are two ways that we find the term hands-on science in common use today. The first, uses hands-on science to refer to a general approach to instruction. Hands-on science can be thought of as a philosophy guiding when and how to use the broad range of teaching strategies needed to address diversity in contemporary classrooms.... The second way hands-on science is commonly used is in terms of a specific instructional strategy where students are actively engaged in manipulating materials, using called a hands-on science activity" (Flick, 1993, pp. 1-2). Other terms for hands-on activities are materials-centered activities, manipulative activities, and practical activities (Doran, 1990). According to Hein (1987), materials-centered science is synonymous with hands-on science and activity-centered science. The term hands-on is also related to the use of manipulative materials. Elementary school mathematics teachers have long been interested in the use of manipulatives to provide concrete learning experiences (Ross & Kurtz, 1993). The Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors defines manipulative materials as "instructional materials that are designed to be touched or handled by students and which develop their muscles, perceptual skills, psychomotor skills, etc." (U.S. Department of Education, 1990, p. 249). "The concept of hands-on science is predicated on the belief that a science program for elementary children should be based on the method children

instinctively employ to make sense of the world around them. Science must be experienced to be understood. These experiences should allow students to be actively engaged in the manipulation of everyday objects and materials from the real world. Children are by nature observers and explorers, and the most effective approach to learning should capitalize on these intrinsic abilities" (Shaply & Luttrell, 1993, p. 1). "Hands-on science is defined as any science lab activity that allows the student to handle, manipulate or observe a scientific process" (Lumpe & Oliver, 1991, p. 345). Hands-on teaching can be differentiated from lectures and demonstrations by the central criterion that students interact with materials to make observations, but the approach involves more than mere activity. The assumption is that direct experiences with natural phenomena will provoke curiosity and thinking, so, "recently, a new twist has been added, and the topic is called Hands-on/Minds-on science" (Lumpe & Oliver, 1991). "Teachers are now seeking to understand what students are learning as a result of busy hands. This need is being expressed through the introduction of new terms such as minds-on and heads-onscience" (Flick, 1993, p. 1). "The one metaphor that has become a password for good science teaching is that science teaching should be hands-on. In recent years, however, this metaphor has been enriched and expanded with the use of the phrase 'minds on science'" (Hassard, 1992, p. 8). Despite the simplicity and logic of using this approach, research indicates that the recitation (discussion) is the most common method of teaching science (Hassard, 1992). Inquiry-oriented instruction is related to hands-on learning; however, these terms are not synonymous (Haury, 1993b). Welch would have agreed with this assessment. In the Project Synthesis report Welch states the following: "Instruction in inquiry classrooms reflects a variety of methods - discussions, investigation laboratories, student-initiated inquiries, lectures, debates. . . . Science content and processes are inseparable. 'How do we know?' enters many conversations. Individuals, small groups, or the entire class move easily from discussion to laboratory or other 'hands-on' activities." (Welch, 1981, p. 56). Karen Worth, chair of the teaching standards committee of the National Science Education Standards Project defines hands-on activities as follows: "Students work directly with materials and manipulate physical objects to physically engage in experiencing science phenomena" (from Bruder, 1993, p. 23). Worth defines inquiry or discovery learning as follows: "Involves the thinking, reading, writing, or research that gives meaning to hands-on. Students probe, collect, and analyze data; draw conclusions; and ask new

questions" (Bruder, 1993, p. 23). Worth defines project- based learning as follows: "Provides a real-life context for science learning. Students have hands-on experiences with water, for instance, probing its properties, then do a project (often with peers) to find out how water comes into and leaves the school building." Hands-on learning can be thought of as comprising three different dimensions: the inquiry dimension, the structure dimension, and the experimental dimension. In inquiry learning, the student uses activities to make discoveries. The structure dimension refers to the amount of guidance given to the student. If each step is detailed, this is known as a cookbook style lab. These types of activities do not increase a student's problem-solving abilities. The third dimension is the experimental dimension which involves the aspect of proving a discovery, usually through the use of a controlled experiment (Lumpe & Oliver, 1991). Museums devoted to science are increasingly using a hands-on approach. "The Exploratorium is a hands-on museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco. It's been called a scientific funhouse, a giant experimental laboratory, even a mad scientist's penny arcade" (Doherty, 1992a, p. 2).

The historical roots of hands-on science teaching

Science education in elementary schools first existed as selections contained in the eighteenth and nineteenth century children's didactic literature (Craig, 1957; Underhill, 1941). By the middle of the nineteenth century, approximately 20% of the pages of the most popular introductory reading textbooks were devoted to science selections (Rillero & Rudolph, 1992). For many students, this was the only science education they received. Nineteenth century American schools had bleak learning conditions. "Teaching was by rote and drill. Encouragement was by the rod. Obedience (to God, parent and teacher) was the foundation rock for the mansion of learning" (Withers, 1963, p. vii). Pestalozzi extended Enlightenment ideas into education by having students learn from experiences and observation rather than from the authority of the textbook and the teacher (Elkind, 1987; Rillero, 1993). "After the experts in getting knowledge discovered that it was far more profitable to examine real things and observe how they did work than merely to speculate and argue about them, and that it was unsafe to trust the authority of any man's opinion

without testing it by its accordance with facts in nature, the experts in education also began to advocate teaching by direct study of things and experimental verification of opinions" (Thorndike, 1920, p. 176). Pestalozzi's ideas of using objects for teaching were spread in America in the 1860s. The Object Teaching Revolution occurred as a direct result of teacher education (Rillero, 1993). This movement challenged the dominance of the textbook in education and promoted active learning by students. The evolution of methodologies used in science education including science activities, field trips, and school science collections were influenced by object teaching (Rillero, 1993). The Committee of Ten (National Education Association, 1893) was instrumental in securing a permanent place for science in the American school curriculum. The science committees repeatedly stressed the importance of object manipulation by students. The Physics, Chemistry and Astronomy Committee recommended "That the study of simple natural phenomena be introduced into the elementary schools and that this study, so far as practicable, be pursued by means of experiments carried on by the pupil" (National Education Association, 1893, p. 118). They added, "The study of books is well enough and undoubtedly important, but the study of things and of phenomena by direct contact must not be neglected" (National Education Association, 1893, p. 119). The Natural History Committee of the Committee of Ten concurred on the importance of direct concrete experience. They resolved that "the study of natural history in both the elementary school and the high school should be by direct observational study with the specimens in the hands of each pupil, and that in the work below the high school no text-book should be used" (National Education Association, 1893, p. 141). From object teaching and the stress on student activity, the project method of learning came into existence. McMurray in 1921 wrote "It is a truism of our educational creed that sensory impressions based on object lessons and motor response form the primary basis of thought in dealing with the later materials of knowledge. The project conceived and executed by the child on the ground of his own experience is a still better basis of our educational efforts because it sets up in children self- determination and purposeful activity in a complete, natural and well-rounded unit of effort" (p. 3). McMurray lists 37 student projects that could be done in connection with school and home gardens. Other projects include "concreting a basement floor; papering and decorating a family living room, building a tree house, making a tool chest, supplying the kitchen with running water, building and

hanging a gate, constructing a corn crib, planning and laying a tile for drainage" (p. 20). McMurray sums up the use of projects in elementary school science as follows: "It is in these very projects, objective and directly practical in the bearings, that children are best able to see the meaning and value of modern science in its influence upon life. What children in elementary schools need is not abstract scientific principles, not the systematic study of any or all the sciences (an impossible thing), but simple, objective, convincing demonstrations of the main ideas and uses of science in the home and neighborhood and in the larger world beyond. What could be better for children than to allow them to see these tangible projects developing and working out their proper, practical influence upon the conditions of life that surround them? These are preeminently needful and instructive topics that should be given the right of way in the elementary curriculum" (1921, p. 8). John Dewey "emphasized the same ideas about learning through activity and child-centered instruction advocated during the eighteenth and nineteenth century by Pestalozzi and Froebel.... The most representative feature of Dewey's philosophy of education was his recommendation of the project method of learning described by various followers as a purposive, problemsolving activity carried on in its natural setting" (Smith, 1979, p. 187). "In more recent times, almost all the major science curriculum developments of the 1960s and early 1970s promoted hands-on practical work as an enjoyable and effective form of learning" (Hodson, 1990). "Since the curricula innovations of the 1960s, the emphasis in laboratory activities has been providing students with hands-on experiences" (Tobin, 1990, p. 407). "During the late 1950s and the early 1960s considerable interest focused on what should be taught and how it should be taught. During the middle to late 1950s textbooks were used by most teachers as the principal tool for teaching science.... The feeling was that if science for elementary schools was to be improved there should be more care and emphasis on the selection of content (facts, concepts, principles), reduction of the way content was taught (sequence, articulation, examples, etc.), more emphasis on processes of science, more 'hands on' science instead of reading about science, and use of a greater variety of media and materials for teaching science" (Helgeson, Blosser, & Howe, 1977, p. 17). "Imitating the work of the scientists in investigating the natural world, usually in the laboratory, is found in all the new curricula. Whether it is called inquiry, scientific process, or problem-solving, each curricula group espoused the virtues of "hands-on" experiences to gain greater insights into the basic concepts of science" (Welch, 1979). These curriculum projects were tested

and revised and provide a major impetus for current hands-on learning initiatives. In 1978, McAnarney wrote "during the last 10-15 years there has been an increased emphasis on the development of elementary school science programs which stress a hands-on experience to teaching and learning. The programs, many of the national curriculum project type, made their appearance during the 1960s and the early 1970s. Within the past three or four years so-called 'second-generation' programs, to distinguish from the 'first generation' ones of the 1960s have emerged" (p. 31). "The term hands-on is so widely used that it is hard to believe that it is something of a newcomer. It first surfaced in the late 1960s meaning to learn how to use a computer by actually using one - hands-on the keyboard, as it were. Although the computer people coined the term, the idea of learning by doing is an ancient one in the arts and crafts, and it has become a mark of good teaching in science and math" (Rutherford, 1993, p. 5). Hands-on learning is an important aspect of the current constructivist epistemologies that suggest that people construct their own understandings of the world. "Exemplary science learning is promoted by both hands-on and minds-on instructional techniques - the foundations of constructivist learning" (Loucks-Horsley, et al. 1990, p. 48). "After a quarter of a century, the familiar phrase hands-on science is now a part of the everyday discussion of elementary science. Teachers, administrators, publishers, and trade books all refer to the importance of hands-on activities in science instruction. This is nothing short of a revolution. Descriptions of science education at all precollege levels have shifted from vocabulary and text material to activities, inventions, and even project-based Olympics" (Flick, 1993, p. 1).

Summary

There are a variety of ideas about what constitutes hands-on learning. We have compiled views from teachers, curriculum developers, and other writers to arrive at a general notion of hands-on learning in science which encompasses its use in school classrooms, museums, and other learning environments. From the collected responses and writings, we have come to consider hands-on learning in science to be any educational experience that actively involves people in manipulating objects to gain knowledge or understanding.

An emphasis on actively involving students in learning has influenced American schools since the 1860s. However, the term hands-on learning seems to have emerged during the 1960s and may eventually fall into disuse. However, the activity-based approach to learning implicit in the phrase has long been important in science education and will likely continue to be held in high esteem by science educators who hold a constructivist view of learning.

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